Complaints & Problems

The agreed Process provides for a Complaints Committee to consider concerns or complaints about the operation of the system. Although there is no appeal against the decision of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel in any individual case, an applicant who has concerns or complaints about the procedures followed in his or her case may take the matter up with the Complaints Committee.

The Complaints Committee is independent of the Queen’s Counsel appointment process. Its role is to consider complaints raised by an applicant about the way in which the Selection Panel and the Secretariat have handled the application, or concerns that the Selection Panel has not applied its procedures properly in that case. Its purpose is not to re-open or re-consider the application, nor to substitute its opinion or judgement for that of the Selection Panel. This approach has been endorsed by the Bar Council and the Law Society.

Any concern about the way in which your application has been handled should be raised as soon as practicable with the Secretariat or the Chair of the Panel. If the matter cannot be resolved by them, a reference to the Complaints Committee may then be appropriate.

The Complaints Committee will consider complaints arising from a particular competition for appointment as Queen’s Counsel after the end of that competition. Any complaint about the way in which the Selection Panel and the Secretariat have handled the application, or concerns that the Selection Panel has not applied its procedures properly, should be raised no later than 60 calendar days following the public announcement of the applicants to be appointed Queen’s Counsel.

There is a link on the right of the page to a copy of the procedure, agreed by the professions, under which the Complaints Committee considers complaints.

Letters for the attention of the Complaints Committee should be sent in a sealed envelope (with your name and applicant ID) to the Chief Executive of QCA, Russell Wallman. The (unopened) complaint will be acknowledged and passed to the Complaints Committee.

Complaints to the Complaints Committee must be raised in writing no later than 60 calendar days following the announcement of the outcome of the competition to which the complaint relates.